Ti Oh Oh

Taiwan for Kids -- Ti Oh Oh -- All Around This WorldCountry: China/Taiwan
Language: Hokkien

A Taiwanese tongue-in-cheek folk song about a grandpa and grandma who fight over how to cook a fish and end up breaking the fish pot…Ha Ha Ha!! In music class we dig for taro, find a fish, fight over salt and break and imaginary pot. And, of course, we laugh . . . HA HA HA! Watch “grandpa” and “grandma” in action. 

Ho oh beh loh oh!!
Ti oh oh beh loh oh
Grandpa digs for taro with his hoe
Dig and dig, dig and dig,
Does he find the taro?
Instead he finds a fish there and laughs.
Ha ha ha!!
Grandpa wants to cook it salty, grandma wants to cook it plain
The two of them have an awful fight, the pot it falls onto the ground and CRASH!!
Ha ha ha!!

Original lyrics:

天黑黑 要落雨
Ti oh oh beh loh ho
The sky is dark. It’s about to rain.

 

阿公仔举锄 頭 要掘芋
Ah gong ah gia di tao beh guut oh
Grandpa picks up his hoe and goes digging for taro.

 

掘呀掘 掘仔掘
Guut ah guut Guut ah guut
Dig and dig. Dig and dig.

 

掘着一尾旋留鼓
Guut dio ji beh suan liu goh
Digs up a loach.

 

依呀夏都真正趣味
Yi ah het doh jin jia chu bi
He finds it very amusing.

 

Repeat

 

阿公要煮咸 阿妈要煮淡
Ah gong beh zu giam Ah ma beh zu jia
Grandpa wants to cook it salty. Grandma wants to cook it plain.

 

二个相打弄鼓锅 弄鼓锅
Neng eh xio pa luung pua dia luung pua dia
The two of them argue and fight, and end up breaking the pot.

 

依呀夏都乡当差当枪 哈哈哈
Yi ah het doh long dong qi dong qiang Ha ha ha
They wind up with clinks and clanks. Ha ha ha

Many thanks to Yenche Tioanda for the transliteration and translation.

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